On 15 October, 31 African states’ representatives signed for the adoption of the African Union Charter on Maritime Security, Safety and Development during the AU extraordinary Summit held in Lome, Togo.
According to ECOWAS’ Chairwoman and Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, this Charter aims at preventing and curbing national and transnational crime, especially terrorism, piracy and armed robbery against ships, as well as all forms of trafficking at sea. In addition, the new document will address issues affecting the maritime environment in coastal and island states, trying to strengthen cooperation in the field.
In addition, the signatory countries will be engaged in the creation of regional and national institutions in order to assure the implementation of appropriate policies to promote security at sea.
It is worth mentioning that an important number of strategic maritime commercial corridors are in African waters. Out of 54, 38 African states are coastal countries and their ports are crucial to continent’s economy as it is estimated that 90% of African imports and exports are conducted by sea.
